Animal traps are well known in the art. These devices range from snares for birds to toothed jaw traps for four legged animals, and from sea nets to trap door housings. For example, U.S. pat. No. 4,141,172 discloses an automatic crustacean trap which includes a rigid, planar, wire base supporting a vertically tubular mount having disposed on the interior thereof a pivotally supported latch. Connected to the latch and extending to the exterior of the mount is a bait dispenser disposed to be articulated by the crustacean entering the trap for concurrent pivotal articulation of the latch. Two peripheral frame members conforming to the halves of the peripheral edge of the base are hinged in diametric alignment on the base, the free edges thereof being engaged to corresponding connecting members which at the other end attach to a collar disposed around a tubular guide telescopically attached to extend out of the free end of the mount. Disposed on the interior of the guide is a latching rod including a lip on the lower end thereof engageable by said latch, the rod engaging the collar thorough two longitudinal slots formed in the guide. To provide the necessary trapping forces each frame member is spring biased to pivot away from the base deploying a flexible mesh screen connected therebetween upon the release of the latch. Concurrently the connecting members advance the collar and the rod outwardly along the guide to articulate a float indicating a closure.